Former Rams OT Pace selected for College Football Hall of Fame

Former St. Louis Rams first round draft pick and All-Pro left tackle Orlando Pace was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Pace was one of the most decorated offensive lineman in college football history, where he played at Ohio State from 1994-1996. Pace was a 1st team All-American in ’95 and ’96 and won the Outland Trophy in ’96. He was the first player to repeat as Lombardi Trophy winner and was named the 1996, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

Pace also finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He is the 24th Buckeye to be inducted.

He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams first overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, and he played professionally for the Rams for twelve years. Pace started all 16 regular season games eight times in his pro career, and blocked for three straight NFL MVPs (Kurt Warner in 1999, 2001; and Marshall Faulk in 2000). He was the cornerstone of a Rams offensive line that blocked for an offense that compiled more gross yards than any other team during his 12 years in St. Louis (50,770 in 12 seasons), finished second in completion percentage (61.8 percent) and fifth in touchdown passes (289) over that time. Under Pace’s protection, the Rams’ passing offense compiled more than 3,000 yards in all 12 of his NFL seasons, seven different quarterbacks eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark in a season, including three times surpassing the 4,000-yard mark, and also blocked for seven 1,000-yard rushers. Pace started 154 consecutive games.